Published 15:48 IST, June 5th 2020
What did Drew Brees do? What were Drew Brees' comments that sparked backlash?
What did Drew Brees do? Here's a detailed look at how Drew Brees became a controversial figure after his ill-timed comments on the national anthem.
Drew Brees has been a name that has been making headlines in the United States over the last couple of days. The New Orleans Saints quarterback ignited massive outrage after he made a controversial comment regarding Colin Kaepernick's kneeling display in relation to the national anthem. The Drew Brees comments have led to a host of popular sports personalities taking a shot at him due to the insensitive and ill-timed nature of his words. Here's a look at what did Drew Brees do and what did Drew Brees say, Drew Brees comments, and his subsequent apologies.
What did Drew Brees do? Drew Brees comments on the national anthem, Drew Brees on kneeling
What did Drew Brees do? Drew Brees comments, Drew Brees backlash
The two-time NFL offensive player of the year was asked to give his opinion on whether he agreed with Colin Kaepernick's kneeling display during the 2016-17 NFL season as a mark of protest against the mounting cases of police brutality on minorities. Drew Brees immediately responded by saying, “I will never agree with anybody disrespecting the flag of the United States of America or our country” which ultimately led to the criticism. A host of celebrities and even Brees' teammates criticised the timing of his comments and the insensitive nature of his words with the Black Lives Matter movement gaining momentum across the country.
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What did Drew Brees do? Drew Brees backlash
Drew Brees faced severe outrage from members of his own team and the New Orleans Saints supporters' group which has a good number of African-American citizens. His comments were dragged on various media outlets over the course of 24 hours who lashed out at his insensitive nature and poor choice of words. However, the one-time Super Bowl champion took to Instagram with a strong and detailed apology post for all his comments regarding Colin Kaepernick and disrespecting the national anthem.
In his lengthy post, Drew Brees was quoted as saying "I made comments that were insensitive and completely missed the mark on the issues we are facing right now as a country. They lacked awareness and any type of compassion or empathy. Instead, those words have become divisive and hurtful and have misled people into believing that somehow I am an enemy. This could not be further from the truth, and is not an accurate reflection of my heart or my character."
The NFL veteran, who has spent the majority of his career with the Saints in New Orleans since joining in 2006, has done a lot for the community through various acts of philanthropy. Drew Brees went on to add that he stands with members of the African-American community at this time of struggle as he said, "I acknowledge that we as Americans, including myself, have not done enough to fight for that equality or to truly understand the struggles and plight of the black community. I recognize that I am part of the solution and can be a leader for the black community in this movement. I will never know what it’s like to be a black man or raise black children in America but I will work every day to put myself in those shoes and fight for what is right."
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Updated 15:48 IST, June 5th 2020